Jen and Paul

Ohmygosh. Today I had HELL ITCH from the sunburn I got over the weekend. Now I’ve had plenty of sunburns before, and many much, much worse than what I got over the weekend. I’ve burned so bad in the past that I’ve blistered. There’ve been times not even an aloe plant helped; all I could do was curl up in the fetal position and shiver.

So this sunburn wasn’t nearly as bad as others I’ve had, but this is the WORST itch I’ve ever had, ever! Worse than chickenpox or pink eye. In fact, in all the time my husband has known me, I’ve only had 2 or 3 bad sunburns and none of them ever itched like this. It’s a DEMON ITCH. An INSANITY ITCH. It seriously felt like millions of little fireants were shredding their way through my skin. It was incredibly painful & itchy at the same time. I don’t know of anyone else who’s ever had this DEMON ITCH except my brother. Seriously, it was so bad that when I tried to ignore it, my skin would start twitching.

It’s an itch that will drive you to the brink of insanity.

If you’ve never had this DEATH ITCH, then you can’t comprehend how bad it hurts. I know I would have never understood until I actually experienced it. Fortunately, I googled it as soon as it started and learned this itch was unlike the typical sunburn itch most people feel as the burn begins to heal. The HELL ITCH is deep under the skin and feels like millions of little fire ant jaws are biting the deep layers of flesh and then someone poured acid into the open wounds. Scratching made it way worse. Lotion and even aloe gel only made me want to rip my skin off. I had to fight back tears just laying in bed. I felt like I was going to go crazy. I laid in bed and curled into a ball and tried to rotate my neck & shoulders in such a way that it would move the skin on my back and shoulders and calm the itch without me having to scratch. Didn’t work. It was awful. I’d never felt anything like it.

Researching on Google, however, told me that this was like an allergic reaction, so lotions and creams would NOT WORK, so take Benadryl and use an antihistamine cream like hydrocortisone cream. I only used the cream. At first it only made it worse. The itching intensified ten-fold and I entertained the idea of using a cheese grater to scrape the skin off my back. I was frantically slapping my back and biting my tongue to distract myself. Just when I thought I would start foaming at the mouth from the pain, I finally felt RELIEF. Not 100%, but enough to where the HELL ITCH became just an annoyance. Ho-ly crap. That itch was insane.

I’m still itching, although it’s not unbearable like it was this morning. I can’t lay on my back & I still can’t scratch the itch because it makes it worse. I have to make my hand like a claw and dig my fingernails into my skin without scratching or even rubbing it. It feels much better that way.

My little guy has a bit of a cold that he’s (almost) passed on to me. I say almost because I woke up at 5:30 this morning with a really sore throat. Only that was not okay. You see, I have big plans this weekend with a friend of mine, so getting sick is absolutely not an option. So what am I doing about this sore throat? Well, I am willing my sore throat to go away. I am imagining that my antibodies are ninja-like warriors armed with grenade launchers and .50 cal machine guns, and the sore-throat germs are measly little peons wielding dull butter knives. Mind over matter, my friends. Let’s see who wins this.

I can’t remember if I’ve posted this picture before… As you know, I don’t post that many pictures of myself, but I’m thinking maybe I will post more once I get down to my weight-loss goal. You know, once I’m not so embarrassed to be seen anymore!

By the way, the weight loss is going GREAT. I have been working out like a beast (think 4x a week… working out so hard that my face turns beet red and sweat flies off of me in all directions!) for the past four months… I’ve lost 24 pounds and I’ve gone down three dress-sizes and counting! It’s hard work but it’s totally paying off. I push myself as hard as I can. I don’t shy away from the burn. Instead, I welcome it. I always say that if you don’t feel the burn, you’re not working hard enough! I work out so hard that it’s impossible for me to carry on a conversation. I’ve also modified what I eat as well… I’ve really cut back on processed foods and I’ve added more vegetables, fruits, lean meats, whole grains, etc. Basically, I’m just working out really hard and eating healthier. My motivation is not only for my health, but I want to be around for a while for my little boy.